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Johnson & Johnson Finds Trace Amounts Of Fungicide In Select Prezista Lots – The pharmaceutical company Janssen, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, has found trace amounts of the fungicide tribromoanisole (TBA) in certain lots of Prezista (darunavir) in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Austria. No contamination has been reported in the United States so far. The discovery was made after several consumer reports indicated the presence of a moldy, musty odor. No serious side effects have been reported due to the presence of TBA, although a small number of patients have reported stomach problems. Patients who smell a musty or moldy odor coming from their Prezista 400 mg or 600 mg tablets should immediately seek replacement medications from their pharmacists. Patients may also contact the company toll-free at 0800-032-3013 (phone number is in the U.K.). For more information, please see the Reuters article or the Janssen press release.

NIAID, White House Mark The 30th Anniversary Of HIV/AIDS – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the White House will be holding events next week to mark the 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS in the U.S. NIAID Director Anthony Fauci will give a talk, titled “Thirty Years of HIV/AIDS: A Personal Journey,” at 2 p.m. EST on May 31, which will be streamed live over the Internet. In addition, the White House will hold a live video chat, including a question and answer session, at 1 p.m. EST on June 1. Viewers may submit questions online ahead of time or live during the chat. For more information, please see the Aids.gov website.

HRSA Releases “Living With HIV” Educational Video – The HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released an educational video entitled “Living With HIV.” The video features patients talking about their personal experiences with HIV and AIDS, including their lifestyles and the stigma they have faced due to the disease. The video is part of The Living History project at the HIV/AIDS Bureau. For more information, please see the Aids.gov website or the video on YouTube.

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Amgen Recalls Epogen And Procrit For HIV-Related Anemia – As a precaution, Amgen has recalled certain lots of Epogen and Procrit (epoetin alfa). The drugs are used to treat anemia (low red blood cell counts) related to antiretroviral therapy, kidney disease, and chemotherapy. The recalled lots may contain barely visible glass flakes that could cause blood clots, swelling of veins, and immune reactions. There have not yet been any reports of negative side effects directly tied to the glass flakes, which result over time from an interaction between the drug and the glass container. To prevent the problem, Amgen will reduce the shelf life of Epogen from 36 months to 12 months for single-dose vials and 15 months for multi-dose vials. Additionally, the company will begin using glass vials that do not interact with the drug. Procrit is manufactured by Amgen but sold by Johnson & Johnson. For more information or the specific lot numbers, please see the Amgen website.

CDC Announces Nearly One Fifth Of Gay Men Are HIV-Positive – A new study released by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that 19 percent of gay men in the U.S. are HIV positive. The study also reported that 57 percent of all new HIV infections occur in men who have sex with men. The group hardest hit is African-American homosexual men, at 28 percent HIV-positive; non-Hispanic Caucasian gay men and interracial men were least affected, at 16 percent and 17 percent, respectively. The CDC found that nearly half (44 percent) of the HIV-positive men did not know they were infected. For more information, please see the report on the CDC website or the news article in The Washington Post.

HHS Allocates $30 Million Toward Implementing The National HIV/AIDS Strategy – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it has allocated $30 million from the recently passed Affordable Care Act toward implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was introduced by President Obama on July 13. The funds will largely go toward HIV prevention and testing efforts. A portion of the funds will also go toward improved monitoring of HIV-positive communities by local health care providers, to improve access to care and treatment for people with HIV. For more information, please see the HHS website.

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The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an urgent recall this month for Roche Diagnostics’ Cobas Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test, v1.5, due to invalid test results from faulty standardizing solutions.

The test is used by doctors to measure HIV viral loads, or the amount of virus present in the bloodstream. The FDA states that the problem causes an error that prevents the test from giving results.

The FDA advised customers to discontinue use of lot M02635, with an expiration date of June 30, and to contact Roche Molecular…